Drowning
by Cellula
Summary: Clary is the state's champion swimmer and is unbeatable, but when a new golden-haired boy comes to town, why does she feel like she's drowning? (Sorry, story was deleted. Trying to put it back up :) Thanks!)
1. Chapter 1

_**DROWNING**_

_**Quick Author's Note Please Read**_**: This is important guys so don't skip it. Oh I know how tempting it is to skim over to the story but please don't. Thanks to those who are reading this. Ok, I have decided to not continue my old story New Life, New Love because it is going to nowhere and I was planning on a happy ending anyway. Please don't hate me. My old name was Wolfstorm77 but I am getting a new account because Wolfstorm77 is a really stupid name. My old story was just a little quick thing that I didn't really spend time on. I plan on writing a better story with more detail in this one. Thanks for your support! Reviews would be nice .**

**Disclaimer: You know the drill. I'm not Cassandra Clare and I do not own The Mortal Instruments blah blah.**

**REMEMBER: ALL HUMAN oh hey. Does anyone mind telling me what the heck AU means? I have no idea. Thanks a million!**

Clary P.O.V.

I glanced at the red zone coming into view from the corner of my eye through my goggles. That was my cue. I remember my coach repeating these words…_you see red and you swim like all hell is breaking loose. Okay? Okay._ So that's what I did. I swam like all hell was indeed breaking loose. Now I know what you're thinking…adrenaline rush and swimming faster than ever before, but no. This was nothing like that because I'm not really at a swim meet. I'm at swim practice.

I flipped to the side and slammed my palm against the wall. My practice was done. Finally. I ripped off wretched swim cap that always clung to my hair and pulled a couple strands out sometimes too. F you.

"Well done Clary, I think you're already ready for next month's meet in Sydney. You're gonna cream them," my coach praised me. I nodded, smirking. Already ready? And that was just practice. Being on the USA Junior Swim Team was hard work, but I was a natural in the water. I couldn't wait for our next meet in Australia!

Grabbing my towel off the rack, I went to hit the showers. Being on the team had its privileges and the showers were one of them. I quickly rinsed out my hair and got into the casual summer dress I had gotten at a flea market while in Alaska for a meet. My hair wasn't wild and frizzy but actually came down nicely in tame, mild waves. It was wet right now so I left in hanging just below my shoulders. It looked good. I slipped on my beaded and leather bracelets and brown leather lace up boots. I loved the whole vintage look and carried around many worn down but loved items with me everywhere.

Slinging my brown messenger over my shoulder I walked out of the gym and felt something wet drop onto my arm. At first I thought it was my hair dripping but I soon realized it was raining. Shit. I picked up my pace to a speed walk and turned the corner. Everything in New York City was so close you could just walk everywhere. Soon I came in front of and old looking book shop and entered. I loved snuggling in the giant comfy chairs and reading here for hours. Especially on rainy days.

A man with gray hair looked up at me from the desk. "Oh, hey Clary, back again. Maia's behind the fiction isle. She's waiting for you." He smiled at me warmly.

"Thanks, Luke," I said, returning the smile. I went behind the fiction shelves and saw a girl with bronze skin and dark brown hair with her nose buried in a book. "Hey Melody," I teased.

"Hey Ariel," she teased back. We had adopted these names from when I started swim team. She called me Ariel because of my red hair and how much time I spent in the water. Classic.

I heard the small chime of the bell above the door sound again and the shuffle of someone else coming inside the store before I opened my mouth to reply to her. But then I stopped. Rarely someone came to Luke's old bookstore. By rarely, I meant rarely. I looked at Maia with a quizzical look and she returned one. We both turned back from behind the shelves to see who it was.

"Holy hot tamale…daaaamn," I heard Maia mutter softly into my ear. I turned my gaze to the direction she was looking in. I couldn't have said it better myself. Standing there, talking to Luke, was the most gorgeous boy I had ever seen in my life. No joke.

He had curly blond hair that spilled across his forehead in a golden halo. His body was tall, lean and tan. Hmm. He looked like a swimmer too. His eyes were like a pool of molten…gold? Who in the world has golden eyes? Okay that just made him look like a god. A freaking shmexy Greek God. My heart raced; damn this guy was beyond hot.

I caught Luke saying my name and pointing in my direction. Oh no…no no no no. I had a horrible time speaking to hot guys…especially THIS one. I always ended up stuttering and embarrassing the hell out of myself. Shit. Shit. Shit.

They guy smiled a smile that would have made any girl pass out and made his way over to where me and Maia were standing. "This is my cue to go," Maia said. She had the same problem as me.

"What? Stay!" I hissed into her ear.

"Sorry, hun. Luke said you're name, not mine," With that she stalked off behind some other shelves leaving me alone to talk to this boy. He came closer making my heart race faster than before.

"Hey," he said in a smooth voice like velvet. I almost squealed. Man up, Clary.

"Hi," I half gushed, half breathed. How the hell was I going to get through this already increasingly awkward conversation?!


	2. Chapter 2

Don't Judge a Book By It's Cover

**Shout out to MIgirl923 my first reviewer! Thank you, I love reviews and they make me update faster. Yeah my last story got like no reviews so I stopped writing it. Boo hoo. AU means another universe…thank you grl, cuz I had my finger scratching my head for a while on that one. Here's the second chapter my darlings…enjoy!**

**IMPORTANT: I changed Maia's character so now she's not the same as Clary, but she's real flirty with guys and has no problem talking to them. Basically when it comes to boys, she's the opposite of Clary. Ok thanks.**

Clary P.O.V.

I found myself at a loss of words even though all he had said was hi. Ugh, I hated this part of me. Usually I was the independent girl who no one messed with, with the brains and the brawl. Okay, it's not like I have guns, it's just that I'm a swimmer and swimmers are str-ong.

But there standing right in front of me was a drop-dead handsome guy who was waiting for some sort of responsiveness. I saw his perfect lips sculpt into a smirk, like he knew how girls typically reacted to him. That shook me out of my day dream.

"What can I help you with?" I asked him, getting lost in his breath-taking eyes.

"I'm new here; I'm going to-" he started, but I interrupted, which I soon regretted.

"Linhale High?" I asked stupidly. Curse my stupid ego. Typically I wasn't an egoistic person, but when it came to my school, I had a little pride. I didn't go to Linhale High like most of the kids here. I went to Scarlen Academy, a regular school, but with a terrific sports program. Usually they called you for an interview but as soon as they saw that I was on the USA Junior Swim Team, they accepted me right away, knowing that they were soon going to need a bigger trophy room. Scarlen was one of the best in the nation.

He smiled and I melted. Damn, I don't even know him and I'm seeing fantasies already. "Noooo," he began, prolonging the "o". I was tempted to roll my eyes at him, however gorgeous he was.

"I'm going to Scarlen Academy. I needed to get my textbooks and your uncle there said you went to Scarlen too, so I should ask you where to get them from. This obviously is not the place," he snickered. I narrowed my eyes at him. No one insults Uncle Luke's bookstore. Sure, its old but its wonderful.

It finally hit me. Of course, he's an ass. I forgot for a moment that a boy with features like these had to be a jerk. No surprises there.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Then why, pray tell, are you here?" I snapped.

"Ooh, feisty Ariel. As far as I remember, she was a sweet little mermaid," he taunted, a smirk playing at his lips.

"The name's Clary and I'm NOT a mermaid," I snapped…again.

"Are you sure about that?" he asked, smiling, showing some teeth. Could he get any more perfect? Straight, milk white…snap out of it girl. I remembered thinking he was a swimmer. Perfect chance.

"Say, how did YOU get into Scarlen?" I asked. Poking at an inflated ego was always the best way to worm facts out of guys.

He looked at me, irriated. "I swim, isn't it obvious?"

"Oh is that so? Who's the mermaid now?" I retorted gleefully. The irritated look disappeared and the smirk was back on.

"Hmm…" his eyebrows scrunched in mock thought…how adorable, "Still you."

"Shut up. You can get your textbooks at Warner Books , two blocks from here. Bye…" I said, wiggling my fingers at him. I then turned on my heel and entered the maze of shelves, trying to find the spot where Maia had hidden herself.

"Hey!" he called, "I'll see you in two months, Ariel!" Two months…? Oh…right, school.

"That's not my name!" I called back. Ass.

I looked for Maia everywhere until I found her in the bean bag in the back of the store curled up reading a book. I grinned. Just like me, Maia devoured books. We were total book worms.

"There you are! Thanks for backing me up back there, best bud!" I said sarcastically.

"Sure, anytime," she replied with sugary sweetness. "No, but seriously I was watching you guys. I'm so proud of you! You didn't stutter once!"

"Gee thanks, the guy was a jerk," I told her.

"Figures, a boy like that would be. But you should have seen your face! SA-WOON! Ha!"I glared at her. She stopped laughing hysterically. "Well, that's too bad. I was thinking maybe you finally had a chance of getting a boyfriend."

"Maia! I barely know they guy and how many times do I tell you! I don't need a boyfriend!" I yelled, quickly glancing back to see if Luke was there to tell me to use "indoor voices". He wasn't. Phew.

"Shut up Clary. Come on, its senior year! You're going to college next year! You need a boyfriend! OMG! That boy's going to Scarlen right? Wait wait wait. Does he play tennis?" she squealed.

I rolled my eyes. Maia was a tennis whiz. Like, it was scary to be her opponent, so it was not a surprise when she burst through my apartment door holding the Scarlen acceptance letter in her hand.

"No he doesn't. He swims." I said dully.

"Ahhhhh!" she squealed. I winced.

"Ow, Maia, that's not necessary."

"Dude you could totally be the perfect couple. OH. MY. GOD. THIS IS PRICELESS!" she gushed.

"Maia, I don't date assholes, okay? Let it drop. Plus, I am craving a good book, so shut your face hole," I promptly told her. She stuck her tongue out at me and went back to her book. I went to the classics shelf and skimmed it until my eyes rested on a faded deep green book spine. _Great Expectations._ I grinned. One of my favorites. I plucked the book from the shelf, settled into the comfy chair and got lost in the wonderful tale woven by mastermind Dickens.

Strange, but a little part of me was still thinking about the mystery blonde boy who's name I didn't know. And that little part of me was looking forward to when I was seeing him again. Two months seemed too long. Who knew that our second meeting was going to happen much, much sooner than that?


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! I would like to thank my fist five reviewers MIgirl923, GirlWithASoul, Japann29, 37XPeeta, bookworm24mjk! Thank you so much for your support and you guys make me want to update even faster than ever! And IKR! Swimmers are so hot…I would know because there are plenty of hot swimmers where I swim lol….enjoy the chapter and tell me what you think!**

**Feel free to give any thoughts or ideas for the story!**

More Than Just Yogurt

Jace P.O.V.

I stepped out of the tiny little bookstore trying to process what had just happened in there. The girl was interesting…with fiery red hair, just like her attitude. Come to think of it, Ariel is such a clever name for her, and it seems to piss her off when I call her that so I'll do just that. Call her Ariel. Just to piss her off.

No, but really she was different. I mean yeah she drooled when she saw me. I get it. I'm naturally drop dead handsome with Greek God worthy looks. Girls use these words to describe me in their diaries. How would I know? Let's just say I've had more than just a couple idiotic girlfriends.

But she recovered quickly. THAT was not normal. She was up and snappy in no time and I didn't like that. Yeah, she was prettier than most girls with a swimmer's body which definitely appeals to me, but…I don't know. There's nothing that could describe her. She seemed like a tough nut to crack and me, being me, will make sure she cracks, hard. I smiled, knowing that Jace Wayland had a challenge in his hands. And was NOT going to lose.

Oh wait, hold on a minute. I sound like a creeper. No, I'm not going to make her fall for me and then dump her and break her heart. That's what assholes do and I am not one of them. All I'm saying is I'm going to find out whether she's worth making friends with or if she's just one of those bimbos that kiss up to me because I usually end being popular and because I'm unbelievably good looking.

Now, that also doesn't mean that I don't flirt. Oh I can be plenty friendly and can turn the charm on any time of day…and that makes me irresistible, to anyone.

Clary P.O.V.

_2 days later…_

I was lying on my bed flat on my back staring at the ceiling trying to find something to do. It was 92 degrees in New York and I wanted to go outside and do something but I didn't know what. I mean I usually went and drew whatever I wanted wherever I wanted, but today my brain was fried and I was out of inspiration.

Maia was on a date with her boyfriend Jordan so I was kinda out of luck. The heat was starting to really get to me, so I decided to go to the local frozen yogurt place where all the teenagers usually hung out. It was a nice place and maybe I could meet an old friend there and catch up.

I slipped on my dark red track shorts and a loose white t-shirt. Tying my hair into a sloppy pony-tail, I grabbed my keys, put on my black flip flops and headed out the door. I had kept thinking about the new boy after our little chat, but it had been 2 days since I saw him and I was starting to forget about it.

I walked to the yogurt place listening to the humming and honking of the cars passing by. I waved to a couple of familiar faces on the way and finally reached my destination. I opened the door, a wave of cool air passing over me. Ahhh, the bliss of air conditioning.

As I entered, I saw groups of huddled teenagers laughing, throwing their heads back at witty comments and the latest gossip. I noticed a girl sitting alone in the back of the restaurant playing with her yogurt with her spoon, her head resting on her free hand with an irritated look on her face.

I came a little closer, noticing her beautiful features. She had jet black hair that spilled over her shoulders and gorgeous long lashes and blue eyes. She was probably new too. What was with all the new people this year?

I guess she noticed me come up because she stood up right away and came to me.

"Hi! I'm Isabelle, but you can call me Izzy. Thank god you are here! You're like the only girl who doesn't have a giant group of friends surrounding her. God like it would be so awkward just to go up to one of the groups and try to mingle with them, you know? Like I don't wanna look like a freak. Um..so..hi!" Isabelle said all this very fast.

I laughed, I liked this girl; she reminded me of Maia. "Hi, I'm Clarissa but call me Clary. What are you doing here all alone?" I asked her, curious what a pretty girl like her was doing alone. Ah dang, I sound like a guy saying some cheesy pick up line at a bar…_What's a pretty girl like you doing alone?_ Shit, man that's not cool.

She raised her eyebrows. "I could ask you the same thing…" God this girl was just like Maia; they HAVE to meet. "But, no," she continued, "My brothers stood me up. God they're always late for EVERYTHING!"

I opened my mouth to reply when I saw that blonde guy walk through the door with another black-haired boy that looked very similar to Isabelle. She must have seen my delay in response, so she turned her head to look at what I was staring at.

"Speak of the devil and the devil shall appear," she sighed. HE WAS HER BROTHER? "Where the hell were you two?! Do have any idea how long I was waiting?" she almost screeched. Then she looked at me. "Oh, guys this is Clary. Clary, these are my brothers, Jace and Alec."

I watch the blonde boy smirk at he recognized who I was. The black-haired boy just smiled politely at me. "I'm sorry, but who is who?" I asked staring into the blonde's eyes. I always seemed to get lost in them, but the annoying part was that he noticed, and smirked even wider. Shit.

"Hey, Ariel, I know I'm hot, but did you know it's rude to stare?" Jace asked smoothly. Isabelle looked between me and Blondie with a confused look on her face.

"You two know each other? And he's Jace and adopted and this one here is Alec, my real brother."

"Oh ok. And no, we do not know each other. Not exactly," I tried to cover up; I didn't want to fall in his trap, who knew what could come out of his mouth next?

"Actually, little red, I beg to differ. You were the one getting all driven on me about getting into Scarlen, isn't that right?" he mused. I glared at him, my green eyes boring deep into his. Little red? How many nicknames does he have for me?

"Yes, I was because I can't quite understand how a person who can't even remember actual names got into a SCHOOL. My name is Clarissa and nothing else, got it Jace?" I snapped.

He looked unfazed by my little comment and countered with, "I thought it was Clary."

"Only my friends call me that," I retorted. Isabelle, who was watching our heated argument quietly, looked even more confused than before.

"So Isabelle's your friend? Geez little red, I pity your friendship making skills."

Isabelle, getting fed up with us and getting annoyed at Jace's comment stepped in. "Yes, Isabelle IS her friend and I feel bad for you who thinks being cocky is being charming."

"I am being charming because somehow, dear sister, they all fall for me no matter how cocky I'm being. Admit it Ariel, you find me irresistible," he smirked.

"You'll be irresistible when I dump this yogurt on head, because unlike you, this yogurt is actually worth something." I slammed Isabelle's half-full yogurt cup on the table and grabbed her arm. "Come on Izzy, let's not waste our time." With that we stormed out of the store trying not to laugh at Jace's expression. Total shock.


	4. Chapter 4

**Guys thank you so much for the reviews, they keep me going! I'll update sooner if I can get maybe 15 reviews total? I mean not on this chapter only lol I mean all together. Thanks guys!**

Real Men Make Waffles

Clary P.O.V

Laughing, Isabelle and I pushed through the doors of the mall into the hot summer night.

"And then," Isabelle said between giggles, "Jace comes running in to see what's wrong and falls flat in his face into," Isabelle doubled over laughing, gasping trying to finish her sentence, "a bowl of onion dip!" She erupted into laughter here and I joined in imagining Jace's pretty boy face covered in onion dip.

"His face smelled bad even after washing it. He smelled like that for like two days!" Isabelle couldn't stop laughing and neither could I.

"Okay you did this when you were how old?" I asked, amused.

"We were thirteen and he got so mad he wouldn't talk to me for a week," she told me, still laughing.

"Come on Izzy, that was pretty evil of you," I told her sternly, trying not to burst out laughing.

"Hey, I'm a girl with two brothers. I gotta entertain myself somehow!" I laughed at her total indifference to making her brother's lives miserable by playing pranks on them 24-7.

"Did he ever get you back?" I asked, wondering what kind of things Jace was capable of.

"Oh yes," Isabelle muttered, "One time, a guy came to pick me up for a date and Jace pretended he was my violent ex-boyfriend who was still madly in love with me and would beat up an guy that tried to 'take me away'. He scared the shit out of the poor guy."

Not being able to help it, I burst into laughter. Glancing at Isabelle, I stopped, "Sorry, yeah not funny. Yep. That was um…yeah not funny at all, mean actually." I slapped my hand onto my mouth to control my giggles.

"Oh yeah, I can tell you think it's totally not funny," Isabelle said darkly. "Do you have any siblings that you unfortunately have to live with?"

I felt a lump in my throat form and my eyes clouded over. "Um, no. My parents and my brother died in a car accident four years ago. I wasn't in the car crash; I was at my Uncle Luke's place. He um, took care of me until I turned eighteen and then I bought my own apartment. I live by myself."

"Oh, Clary, I'm so sorry," Isabelle whispered. Glancing around, she said, "It's dark and we walked all the way here. Um, my house is like two minutes away; you can crash there."

"Oh no, it's ok. I'll manage," I said quietly, but Isabelle would have none of it.

"Oh no, you are coming and that is final," she proclaimed, grabbing my hand and pulling me in the direction of her house.

"Fine, but are you sure your parents won't mind?" I asked nervously.

"Oh I don't live with my parents. They let me move out to New York on one condition; that I had to stay with my brothers. They didn't think it was a bad idea and Jace and I got into Scarlen anyway so it all worked out," she told me. Ah crap, so I was going to have to put up with a night with Jace only a couple yards away from me. It was weird but a little part of me was excited to see him again. What? No no no no no. Clarrisa, you do not like Jace. Shit! Leave it up to me to fall for the wrong guy. Maybe he was hot, but no, I did not like him. He was a jerk and I do not like jerks.

We arrived at Isabelle's apartment and took a deep breath before going inside. The wonderful smell of syrup smothered me and I realized how hungry I was. Checking my watch, I realized it was 11:30. I hadn't eaten in eight hours! We entered the apartment to see Jace in the kitchen wearing basketball shorts and a white shirt with the Nike logo on it.

Damn he looked hot in anything. And he cooked?! That makes him even more attractive. Snap out of it woman, I told myself.

"Jace," Isabelle sighed, "What ARE you doing?"

"Oh hey Iz- what's little red doing here?" Jace lifted on eyebrow. Dammit, why can everyone do that but me? I sighed, knowing he will never give me the satisfaction of him saying my real name. I glared at him and he smiled cheekily showing his dimples and perfect white teeth.

"CLARY," Isabelle started, putting emphasis on my name, "is spending the night here and YOU will not bother her."

"No promises sister dearest," Jace smirked.

"Can you guys NOT talk like I'm not standing right here?" I growled and flopped onto the couch.

"Ooh, someone's a little cranky. No one likes a cwanky mah-maid," he said in a little kid voice, widening his eyes.

"Jaaaace," I whined, "Just shut up!" I groaned, knowing this was going to be a long night. My stomach rumbled and my ears reddened in embarrassment.

"Sherlock has cracked the case!" Jace announced, not even looking back. "Ariel is being a grouchy old hag because she's hungry and drooling over the delicious waffles I am making."

Sitting up I looked at Jace in the kitchen. "You're making waffles? But you're a guy."

Jace spun around laughing. A real laugh, not a sarcastic one this time. A little surprised he asked, "What's that supposed to mean? If you think only girls can cook, you, darling, are absolutely wrong." Popping a strawberry in his mouth he added, "and Izzy is a living example of that."

Isabelle glared at him and slapped his arm. "Oh and did our bags arrive yet? If they are lost I swear-"

"No, well yeah. I mean my bags came but yours and Alec's still haven't."

"THEN WHAT THE HELL AM I - ARE WE SUPPOSED TO WEAR?" Isabelle screeched.

"Jeez, Izzy, it's not my fault. Just wear something of mine, no big deal. You wore all my shirts when we were little because they were quote 'Big and smell like my brother and comfy.'"

"I never said that!" Isabelle said.

"I have proof Iz," Jace said raising his eyebrows at his sister.

"Okay, but what about Clary? You don't expect her to wear jeans to sleep do you?" Isabelle had bought me a new outfit at the mall and actually threw away my other clothes.

"No it-" I began.

"She can wear something of mine too. You can manage Isabelle, it's only a couple of nights."

I couldn't help but notice the faint shade of pink on Jace's cheeks. Was he seriously blushing about me wearing his clothes? Wow.

"Alright, fine." Isabelle led me to Jace's room and pulled out two pairs of shorts and two large cotton shirts. "Here," she tossed me a pair, "Go change."

I went to the bathroom and changed into Jace's clothes. They smelled comforting and sweet. Like...like…sunshine and warmth. How odd.

I walked out of the bathroom and almost ran into Jace. "Oh sorry," I whispered.

"Watch where you're going little red. I left some waffles out for you and Izzy in case you got hungry, I'm going to bed." He started to walk towards his room when he backed up. "As much as you wanna go in there, my room is for my enjoyment only, k Ariel?" he whispered in my ear. I glared at him and he smirked.

God this boy was confusing!

**What do you think? Review! Thanks!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys! Thank you so much for the reviews, really thank you! I was hoping to get up to 23 reviews for another chapter?! Pweeeeese! Thanks guys, means a lot. Here's the new Chappie!**

**Oh and again, feel free to give me any ideas.**

Paranormal Behavior

Clary P.O.V.

Isabelle and I were snuggled on the couch, sharing a fuzzy gray blanket in between us. I loved this type of thing. I felt so comfortable in Jace's over-sized shirts and shorts with the blanket draped over us.

"So what do you want to do?" I asked lazily. I wasn't tired but just bored I guess.

"Um…wanna watch a movie? I think we have some new movie releases on Netflix," Isabelle offered.

Not having any other ideas of my own, I agreed, "Sure."

"Mkay, hand me the remote," she demanded.

"Izzy, its right in front of you," I said amused.

"Ugh, it's so far away thoughhhh," she whined. I rolled my eyes and handed her the remote before she could continue whining again. Turning the T.V. on, we surfed through dozens of comedies, sappy romances, chick flicks, drama…

"There's the Hubble documentary…" Isabelle started. Was this girl kidding me?

"Izzy! We are NOT that desperate! Come on! _Documentary_? Really?" I exclaimed.

"Well you got any other better ideas?" she snapped. I stuck my tongue out at her to mask the fact that I really did not have any better ideas.

"OOO!" she squealed. "What about Paranormal Activity 3?!"

Oh no. I hated horror movies. I got so scared it wasn't even funny.

"Okay…" I said. SHIT! What did I just agree to?! "Wait! No!" She gave me a quizzical look. Not wanting to sound like a total baby I added, "It's too long don't you think? I mean-"

Isabelle gave me serious look. "Too long? Honey, it's summer vacation. Do I really give a damn about how long we stay up?" Shaking her head, she clicked play and we were watching Paranormal Activity 3. Great.

We were about half-way through the movie and Isabelle and I were huddled together in a tight ball in one end of the couch. Our eyes were glued to the screen but would tear away if we heard even the slightest odd noise coming from the apartment. Fear coursed through my whole body and I made sure not to move an inch or make the slightest sound. I HATED scary movies. They made me feel so vulnerable. Ugh!

Suddenly we heard a creak in the wooden floor. Then a louder one. My eyes got wide. "What. Was that?" I whispered.

"I-I don't know," Isabelle whispered back, her eyes widening too. "Jace?" she asked in a meek voice. No response. "Alec?" she asked again in the same tone. The creaking sound continued and fear built up in me, my whole body frozen in its stance.

"Izzy…" I asked uncertainly. She quickly put a finger to her lips to shush me.

Jace P.O.V.

I slapped my hand over my mouth to stop myself from bursting out in laughter. God these girls were too easy. Izzy was probably going to murder me for what I was going to do next, but I decided with Clary it would be worth it.

"It's probably nothing, just ignore it," Isabelle whispered and we the girls went back to watching the movie. I took this as an opportunity and snuck behind the couch waiting for an intense moment to come on.

Of course they didn't hear me. Pranking Isabelle and Alec for the past seven years was good experience. Oh those good old days, when Isabelle didn't have a brain and would go crying to Maryse whenever I did something, instead of now when she always gets revenge.

Suddenly the music in the movie became very silent and eerie, slowly building up into a faster and scarier tune. Right when the music came at its peak…

Clary P.O.V.

"BOO!"

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" I screamed a terrifyingly high pitched scream. What the HELL?!

Our heads had completely turned around and we peered over the edge of the couch, our hearts still racing madly from the shock. Alec came running in, his hair tousled and his eyebrows pinched with worry.

"What happened?!" he asked, concerned.

Behind the couch, sure enough, was Jace. On the floor. Laughing like there was no tomorrow. Clutching his stomach, trying to regain his breath.

"JACE!" Isabelle and I yelled at the same time in anger and fright.

He was laughing so hard, tears were streaming down his cheeks. "You're faces…" he gasped between laughs, "Priceless!" and he doubled over laughing again.

"That's not funny!" I yelled at him. Isabelle and my eyes met and we grabbed our pillows and started whacking Jace wherever we could catch sight of him in our mad frenzy.

"That," whack, "Was," whack, "SO," whack, "Not," whack, "FUNNY!" big whack.

Jace shielded his face from the pillow bombs and tried to escape. "Stop! Stop! STOP!" he yelled, still half laughing. We finally stopped to see his lips twisted up into a smirk again.

"That was incredibly funny and you both know it," he snickered.

"Oh god," I huffed, pushing my hair out of my face. "You scared the freaking shit out of me!" I placed both hands on my forehead, still recovering from the shock.

"That was the intention, little red," he mused.

"_That was the intention, little red_," I mimicked in a stupid low guy's voice. He laughed. I smiled internally, having the dumb satisfaction of making him laugh. Ah stupid little crush. He was jerk nonetheless. It wasn't like I was pining for him. Oh well.

"Jace, you will never change will you? Boys are so immature!" Isabelle shrieked.

All of a sudden we heard a knock at the door. "You planned this all out didn't you?"

"Iz, I swear, I don't know who's at the door." Jace looked earnest.

Grumbling, Isabelle opened the door to reveal a very handsome brown-haired boy with black eyes and a lean figure just like Jace. Of course, he wasn't as beyond hot as Jace, but he was fiiiiiine. His curly medium-length hair was tousled and looked like he had just been woken up.

"Hey," he started in a deep, smoky voice. "I heard yelling down here and I just came to check if something was wrong." What was with all these hot guys and how come I have never seen them before?!

"Oh hey Seb. Clary, this is Sebastian. He's our age and lives upstairs. He just moved here too."

I moved forward to meet Sebastian. "Hi I'm Clarrisa, but everyone calls me Clary," I smiled warmly and he returned a gorgeous one.

"Correction," Jace interrupted. "Only her friends call her Clary. Everyone else calls her little red."

Clary glared at Jace and he just smiled back. Typical. "Well, then consider me a friend Clary," Sebastian said sweetly. I grinned at him. "So what happened?" he asked, curious.

"Jace scared the hell outta us by yelling boo during a horror movie," Isabelle said, irritated.

"Niiiice, man, but that's a little harsh. We don't wanna scare Clary on her first night here now do we? That'll make her not want to come back…" he grinned at me. Woah, was he flirting with me? Well he was plenty nice so whatever.

"Aw, no. Of course I would come back Seb," I told him, returning the flirty smile.

"Well, it's late so we better get back to bed. Night man, see ya later," Jace said loudly before ushering Sebastian out the door and slamming it in his face.

"Heyyy, why'd you make him leave? He was _really_ nice," I pouted.

"Well, it's _really_ late," Jace snapped.

"You didn't think about that before deciding to scare us!" I countered.

"Just go to sleep Clary," he said tiredly. Something told me that he didn't like Sebastian very much. I began to walk to Isabelle's room when I realized that he had actually said my real name. For the first time. Huh.


	6. Chapter 6

**THANK YOU so much for the reviews. I only got 21, not 23, but I got really excited anyway and decided to update, lol. Keep the reviews coming! I'll update faster I promise! Please tell me what you think! Thanks!**

I Don't Get Nervous…Or Do I?

I could feel the sunshine pouring out all over my face as I opened one eye and then quickly shut it, the light being too much too bear. I heard two people talking outside the room door.

"Come on Jace! It'll be fun!" I could hear Isabelle's squeals clearly through the room door.

"Ok two things," I heard Jace say, sounding bored. "Madame Clarissa isn't even up yet so I don't know how you are planning of leaving now…and two, there is a mandatory summer swim practice I have to go to for the Scarlen Boys Swim Team. It's the only co-ed practice, meaning the girls team will be there too, in the whole summer. Very important, so no."

Silence followed his little speech, so I was guessing that elaborate explanations were the only way to get Isabelle to shut up. Finally trying to actually register what Jace said, my eyes widened and I shot up in bed. SHIT! I completely forgot that the co-ed practice was today! I glanced at the clock. 8:57. I only had a half hour to get home, pack my swim back, get into my swim suit AND warm up!

Jumping out of bed I flung open the room door, meeting two pairs of surprised eyes. Isabelle opened her mouth to speak but I cut her off, grabbing her arm. "NO QUESTIONS NOW! GET ME HOME IN SHORTEST TIME POSSIBLE!" I hollered. "Shit! I'm gonna be so late!" I saw Jace's amused expression from the corner of my eye as I flung my bag over my shoulder and dragged Isabelle out with the other hand.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Isabelle exclaimed as I pulled her down the stairs.

"I have swim practice!"

She paused for a second, "You…Jace was saying…ohhhhhhhhh."

"Yeah, ohhhhhhh. Now hurry up! Shit shit shit!" We scrambled into the car, Isabelle gunned the engine and drove like mad. She swerved and dodged, trying to concentrate on the road over my incessant yelling.

"Clary shut up! I'm trying!" she yelled, irritated. Finally, she pulled into the curb right outside my apartment. I opened the door and slammed it, throwing a hasty 'thanks' over my shoulder. I bolted up the steps, shoving my key into the door. 9:07. Craaaaap! In a mad frenzy, I pulled on my suit, did some quick stretches and shoved a billion things into my swim bag before throwing on a tank top and shorts, grabbing my keys and phone and bursting out my apartment door.

I glanced at the clock in my car before pulling into the parking lot. 9:28. Phew. Two minutes was more than enough time for getting into the pool area.

As I entered the girls locker room, I noticed a bunch of my swim team friends stretching. "Heyyyyy girls!" I said. They all turned their heads in my direction and smiled widely.

"ARIEL!" they squealed and pulled me into a massive group hug.

"We've missed you so much Clary!" my closest friend Nicole said.

"Aw, I've missed you guys too! So you check out they guys team yet?" I asked, already knowing one of the guys on the team. Guess.

"No," Lindsey began, "But I hope they're hot! God we need hot guys on our team to keep us going."

We all laughed and I was reminded of how much fun I had hanging out with these girls.

"Yeah, we sure do. But I am sure as hell that we are going to do some ass-whoopin' out there today.  
Even though the coaches say it's not a competition. Show the guys who's boss.," Amy said.

"YEAH!" we all agreed. I just couldn't wait to wipe that smirk off of Jace's face when he sees me go. We heard two whistles. Our cue to meet up at the pool. I stripped off my tank top and shorts, grabbed my goggles and cap and left with the girls.

We walked out into the large pool area and sat down, waiting until everyone arrived. We noticed the guys swim team come out from the other side of the gym. We commented on each boy as they came out one by one. I saw a familiar boy step out of the locker room, soon realizing it was Sebastian.

"Ooh…that one's is cuuuute. Hot even! Oh my gosh! He's looking at you!" Nicole squealed.

I saw Sebastian recognize me as he grinned and waved. I waved back, smiling. He seemed like a really nice guy AND he swam! Lost in my own thoughts, I turned to see what all the girls were gasping and whispering about. There he was, dressed in a cotton t-shirt and swim shorts. Jace.

"Oh. My. God. Hot. Hot. Hot," Amy whispered.

"Just look at his eyes, god, to die for."

"Woah, blondie over there is one fine piece of male specimen."

"Who. Is. He?"

"Trying out was totally worth it."

"Daaaaamn."

I listened to all the girls commenting and drooling over him. He smiled at us, as if knowing that this was nothing new and I swear they all just practically melted. I rolled my eyes. If only they knew…

I saw Kaelie wink at him and he smirked, winking back. Player, I thought. Kaelie was probably the only girl on the team I hated. Turns out, her best event is flirting with the guys team. She wasn't even that good at swimming; I don't how she got in. Probably because her dad donated a gazillion bucks to the school.

"Alright people." Coach Melrose's voice rang out clear in the room. "Hurry up and quit wasting time. This is the only co-ed practice of the summer. Girls, I am the one speaking, not . Eyes up here please." Nicole and I snickered.

"He may be hot but jerk is written right across his face," Nicole whispered to me.

"Oh, just wait Nic, you just wait." She gave me a confused look.

"You know the guy?"

"Um, sort of. It's complicated," I replied, uneasily.

"I bet it is…" she said with a flirty smile. I rolled me eyes at her and bumped my shoulder to hers.

"So listen up! Each girl or guy will be competing against the guy or girl of their same rank. So the boy and girl ranking, say, fifth on the team will be swimming against each other. Now your times will be recorded, but will not be purpose is to push yourself. Got it? Now the course will be as the following. We will be doing a 100 race. Free to back, back to fly, fly to breast. I'm gonna read out the names of the ranks starting from tenth place. Maddy-Madison vs. Bryce. Beth-Bethany vs. Kyle. Kaelie vs. Matthew. Maria vs. Neil. Bella-Isabella vs. Jordan. Lindsey vs. Ayden. Amy vs. Luke. Annabeth vs. Percy. **(sorry I had to do that.)** Nic-Nicole vs. Seb-Sebastian. And first place, Clary-Clarrisa vs. Jace-Jonathan," Coach ended, saying everyone's nicknames along with their real ones.

Ah crap, of course JACE had to be the best on the guy's team. If I lost, he would never let me hear the end of it. I glanced at Jace at the opposite side of the room and he flashed me a smile. Quickly, he raised his hand to form an 'L' over his forehead.

"Loser," he mouthed. Typical Jace.

"You wish," I mouthed back.

"Ok, so it is kinda complicated," Nicole told me raising her eyebrows, looking between Jace and I.

"Yeah, no kidding," I said to her dryly.

"GET WARMED UP," The coaches boomed. "Tenth place will be going first, so Maddy and Bryce, you two are up."

"Good luck," I said, patting her on the back while she put on her cap.

"Thanks," she smiled. I liked Maddy. She was really nice and sweet and wasn't a sore loser. On top of that, despite being tenth, she wasn't a jealous bitch like some of the other girls on the team. Unlike, Kaelie, I didn't hate those girls. I just disliked them. Kaelie, I hated.

They raced and Maddy won. Score one for the girls! We all cheered and rubbed it in the guys' faces. They looked annoyed.

"Aw, did your guys' egos just deflate a little?" Nicole snickered. Did I mention how much I loved her? We made stupid pouty faces at them and laughed. One by one, the races went on and the girls still dominated. Okay fine, we were "dominating" by one, by we were still ahead!

Nerves built up inside me. Usually I would never get nervous, but judging by how fit and lean Jace was, I could tell he was good. Like really good.

Up next were Nicole and Sebastian. "Come on Nic! Show 'em who's boooooss!" I cheered. She responded by a big "WOOOOOO!"

I saw Sebastian go up to the starting board. I smiled at him and gave him silent thumbs up. He was realllly cute. I guess I might have developed a little crush on him, but sadly, my little crush on Jace was bigger.

"Thanks," he mouthed to me, grinning. He took off his shirt, revealing a toned body. He had abs, but they were kind of faint.

"On your marks, get set-" the gun went off and the two dived into the water. After a really fast 100, both their palm slammed into the wall at the same time.

"Shit!" Nicole cursed, slamming her fist into the water. She climbed out of the water, really out of breath. "Damn, he's fast. I pushed myself harder today than I ever had. If he's number two, I'm scared to see who's number 1."

So am I, I said in my head. I smiled weakly at her. I was up next.

**OOOO Cliffy! Review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys! I can't believe I got 9 reviews in just a day and a half! You guys are so awesome! Thank you Thank you! I've been getting a lot of questions whether I swim or if I'm on a team so I just wanted to clarify a few things. **

**Yes, I'm on a team, but it's just a small team at the local swim academy near my town.**

**BTW GirlWithASoul is right. Guys of the same rank as girls are faster, but this is a stupid love story and I like a little girl power so I just made it that way lol. But I did actually beat a couple guys of my rank once, which I was proud of.**

**About the terminology, these are the terms my coach uses so free to back is freestyle to backstroke, back to fly is backstroke to butterfly, fly to breast is butterfly to breaststroke. And I realized that I forgot to put in the last stroke but whatever. Sorry for the confusion. I tried to keep out most of the swimming terms so that people who don't swim wouldn't really get the wrong idea.**

**I'm not the fastest swimmer ever, but I am getting private coaching so I can try out for a bigger team which I'm psyched about.**

**Okay, enough about me let's get to the story! Enjoy darlings and thank you for your support!**

Mary Had a Little Fall

I jumped up and down, shaking my hands and stretching my neck from side to side. That was my way of getting pumped up before a race. And it usually intimidated my opponents. Psychology was a big part of my sport and you had to be mentally strong as well as physically. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to be working on Jace. He was probably going to kick my ass.

"Let's see whatcha got Clary. This boy is one of the best teens in the country. Actually, he is the bloody best. I heard he's getting trained for the Olympic Tryouts," Coach Melrose said. My eyes widened. Olympics?! I immediately thought of Michael Phelps. I had been watching him on T.V. for as long as I could remember. I always dreamt of being an Olympic swimmer and getting into the U.S. Junior Swim Team was one of the best days of my life. The Olympics were just behind the next hill on my road to success.

"How come I've never heard of him? What about that guy…uh, um…Brian Heron-something or the other who used to go here? He's in college now right?" I asked.

"Jace is new. He just beat Herondale…quite recently," Coach said.

"What's his time," I asked, trying to sound indifferent, but in truth I was getting more nervous by the second. I had never gotten lower than first place in, well, ever and I did not intend on changing that.

"For the100 freestyle long? 49.58." My jaw dropped.

"FORTY NINE FIFTY EIGHT?!" I whisper-yelled. Mine was 54.23! "How long has he been training?!" I had been training since I first discovered my love in the water when I was 9. From then on, there was no stopping me.

"I know…he can fly. I believe he's been training since he was four. As soon as we saw him go in tryouts, boom, he was in. I have never seen a boy go with a motion like his. It's beautiful. Clary, you train with him, that Stanford Scholarship is in," Coach gave me a serious look. I nodded quickly. There's only one problem…I CAN'T TRAIN WITH HIM! He would give me hell. Why couldn't Sebastian be the best?! Damn it!

"Okay, its time. Push yourself more than you ever have Ari, you can do this, hun. Show em' what my girl is made of." Great. Now I felt like I was competing, making me even more nervous! Crap! I walked up to the starting block.

"Hey Red," Jace greeted, flexing his arms, "Ready for some competition?" he said cheekily.

"You're going in like that?" I asked, glancing at his apparel. His shirt was still on and his goggles were lying next to him. Ugh you have NO idea how much a cotton shirt can slow you down. Of course, no swimmer would ever dare to do that. The idea was absurd.

"So eager to see me shirtless huh?" he mused. Asshat.

"Oh totally," I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

He shrugged. "You asked for it." With that, he peeled off his shirt, revealing a sexy, toned, very visible six pack. There was no trace of fat ANYWHERE in his body. His arms weren't bulky muscled, but they were deliciously toned, with smooth curves. His natural tan and blonde hair made him look like the most beautiful thing ever. I couldn't help but gawk at his abs.

There was an audible "Woah" coming from the girls side of the deck. He just smirked. I forgot for a split second that his dreamy body was visible to everyone else here too.

"Damn, what does he do?" I heard a whisper coming from the guys.

"Dude, he's the best, what do you expect. Just watch him become captain on the first PRACTICE."

"Well, I saw him at tryouts and his time was better than Brian's so I'm guessing that's whats gonna happen."

Argh, shut up shut up shut up. I was SERIOUSLY getting nervous now. I was going to lose.

After five minutes, we were both positioned on the starting block. I blocked everything out of my mind and waited for the gun shot, my muscles ready to spring into action.

It could practically hear the rhythm of my heart when suddenly a deafening gunshot disrupted the steady beat. I dived into the water with lightening speed, my focus straight ahead. The crashing of water was loud in my ears and my arms worked like a furious machine, using every in of strength I had in my body.

I noticed Jace was about two strokes ahead of me. Shit, I cursed, making myself trying to work a little faster. Under the water I heard an odd muffled yelling of my coach and then a yell followed by a voice that sounded a lot like Lindsey. A middle aged woman's voice entered the scramble of dialogue and then a shriek, very similar to that of a little girl.

I heard no instruction so I kept going, letting nothing deter me. The yelling was getting louder. Then the piercing sound of a whistle shot through the air.

I stopped and poked my head out of the water, trying to piece together what was happening. Lindsay's mom was there, sobbing "Mary" over and over again and my heart stopped. Wasn't Mary Lindsey's four year old sister? She was the sweetest thing ever and always gave me a huge hug whenever I saw her. The next thing I saw was Jace speeding down the 50 meter lane with a speed I never thought was possible. I watched, mesmerized by his stroke and then saw him disappear under the water.

I waited for him to come back up but he didn't. Time was ticking by and I was starting to get worried. As soon as I opened my mouth to say something, his blonde hair poked out of the water. He came up fully, taking a big breath. In his arms was a little brown-haired girl. Mary. Sobbing and coughing.

"Oh Mary! You're okay! Thank you so much! Oh I don't know how I can repay you! Would you like some kind of-"

"No! No, ma'am. Really. It's no problem." Jace smiled at the woman, who was hugging Mary with all her love. I saw Lindsey run over and hug Mary to death. Still very confused, I swam over to the edge of the pool and hoisted myself out.

"Oh, I am so sorry. I know I wasn't supposed to come in during practice, but the kids were so excited to see Lindsey swim so they just burst through the door and-"

"Don't worry ; what's important here is that Mary is okay. Thank you Jace, that was quick thinking," Coach said. Jace nodded curtly.

"Yes, thank you so much Jace!" the mother cried.

"Really, thanks for saving my sister," Lindsey said. Jace nodded again. I guess he wasn't very used to saving lives. He may be a cocky jerk, but he was a good person. Wow. He just saved a life! Aw crap, my crush on him just got a little bigger.

He walked over to the bench and grabbed his towel, drying his dripping hair. He was wet and looked so…hot. After debating in my head, I went up to him.

"What happened?" I asked seriously. He looked up, noticing me. His expression was serious too.

"A little girl came in super excited and she slipped and fell into the water. I mean, I heard a shriek so I looked up and saw her fall. I guess my immediate reflex was to go and save her, cause the next thing I knew, I was swimming faster than ever. Adrenaline, you know?" he said.

I nodded. Wow, I was so focused on winning, I didn't even bother to see what was going on. Maybe there was more to him than I gave credit for. I smiled at him. "Thanks Jace, Mary is like my sister too. Maybe you're not too bad."

"Gee thanks, little red," he said smiling. I groaned and he laughed. A laugh that lighted up his eyes and made them seem alive.

"Well, I'm guessing practice is over," I said.

"Yeah, but this isn't," Jace replied.

"What?" I asked, not getting what he meant. He smirked. Great, was back.

"You might have gotten out of it this time, but I will not rest until I kick your ass one time or the other."

"We'll see about that. Hmph!" I said haughtily, stamping my foot. Jace smiled, looking amused. What was he smirking at now?

"Did you seriously just _stamp your foot_?" he said, trying not to laugh.

"So what if I did?" I asked irritated. Who did he think he was?

"That's freaking adorable," he said shaking his head, making his way to the boy's locker room.

I felt a blush creeping up on my cheeks. What?


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys…only five reviews on my last chapter?! Boo hoo. Reviews pleeese! Anyway, thanks to those who did review! Here is the new chapter! Enjoy and let me know what you think!**

**New ideas welcome!**

Date Gone Wrong

Jace P.O.V.

I was lying on my bed, tossing the football up and then catching it. Clarissa. That name sounded so familiar. The first time I met her, I was going to ask…but I'd probably just end up making a fool out of myself. I heard a soft knock on my door.

"Come in," I said lazily. Isabelle walked in slowly. "What's up?" I asked.

"Nothing, I'm just looking for something to do," she said.

"Don't pester me with your boredom…go get a manicure, call Clary or something."

"The manicure place is closed and Clary's gone out to dinner with some people," Isabelle informed me.

"So I, being your brother, am your last resort? I am hurt, sister dearest," I said sarcastically. Isabelle threw me an irritated look and I just smiled.

"So whatcha doing?"

"Why do you care?" I demanded.

"Jace, stop being such a brat."

I stuck my tongue out at her and heard her mumble something that sounded a lot like 'immature'. "I'm not doing anything…just thinking."

"Bout what?"

"Clary," I said without thinking. Shit. Her eyes widened.

"Oh really?" she said, raising her eyebrows. "That's it. I knew you developed a crush on her." Ugh. Leave it up to Isabelle to think about that right away. Sure Clary was pretty, cute, strong, sexy…okay never mind, but I didn't like her, like her….yet.

"Not about that, Izzy. It's just…remember there was a girl who lived next to us in L.A.? Cathy or Clare or something?" Maybe Isabelle remembered something.

"Yeah, Clariss-woah do you think…?" she said, her eyes widening again.

"Yeah, yeah." I sat up. "She was a red-head too, right? Her dad used to teach us how to play basketball."

"No, that was only you, her and her brother, Kyle. Me and Alec were usually never around so it was only you two that played. You guys had…some kind of connection, you know? But that was twelve years ago. We were five and then she moved. You were really sad that day. I doubt she remembers us."

"Yeah, same. She was sweet. God she's changed. Now she's got that whole independent, strong, 'you can't touch me' attitude," I said. Her eyes were so alive then, now they looked like they had lost their spark.

"Well, yeah. After her whole family died in a freak car accident." Her hand immediately flew to her mouth. "Don't tell her I told you. She doesn't want anyone to know!"

"What?!" I exclaimed. "Her whole family? So basically, she's alone?" That must be horrible. A flower or pity blossomed in my heart. Ah toughen up, you're Jace Wayland. I couldn't believe I was putting all my attention and softening up for just this one girl who I think I used to know.

"Well, she has this one uncle, but I don't think he's blood-related."

"Oh yeah, I met him at some old bookstore down the street…" Then there was a silence.

"Wow, Jace I'm proud of you," Isabelle said out of the blue.

"What?"

"We got through a whole conversation without a single sarcastic comment, well excluding when I came in, or a smirk. Probably cause we were talking about Clary." She winked at me. God, this girl.

"I don't like her! I barely know her! Jace Wayland does not fall for girls, they fall for him." It was true. I don't lie. Never.

"Maybe, Jace Wayland, this time is different."

"Maybe, it's not," I said, annoyed.

"Whatever Jace, but just don't play with her okay? She's a nice girl."

"Since when do I play with girls? We've been over this; I don't do that." I hated guys who screwed girls and then threw them away. It was disgusting. I remember some jerk doing that to Isabelle. She cried for a week and I ended up punching the living daylights out of him.

"I'm not talking about that. Jace you know how girls fall hard for your charm, even if you don't date them. When they realize you don't give a damn about them, well, they cry." She looked close to tears and I realized she was remembering the asshole who played with her.

"Hey," I said softly. No matter how annoying she was, she was my sister. "We are over that remember? I set him in place and don't tell me you didn't enjoy watching that."

"You got grounded for a month!"

"It was worth it," I said and she cracked a watery smile. "Anyway," I started, changing the subject, "I'm hungry."

"We've got some lefto-"

"Isabelle darling, I want food, not poison." I winced, remembering the foul mush she had made yesterday.

She slapped my arm. "Shut up. Well, if you have another brilliant idea of what we can eat, enlighten me."

"You could call Clary; she probably knows a place…" I offered. Isabelle smiled a sly smile.

"For the last time! I don't like her!" I shouted.

"Jeez, okay. I never said you did," she said, picking up her phone. "Ah crap, my phone's dead. You call her."

"She won't know who it is though. It'll just be some random number on her caller ID," I said, reasonably.

"Yeah she will. I gave her your and Alec's number, just in case."

"In case of what?" I asked suspiciously. She just shrugged.

"Call her!"

"Okay! Jesus!" I said, grabbing my phone.

"Do not say the lord's name in vain," she scolded me and I rolled me eyes at her. Drama Queen.

Clary P.O.V.

I sat there, bored. I was in some fancy restaurant with a guy Maia had set me up with. Apparently, he met one his nerd friends here and was happily chatting away with him about calculus or some crap like that.

Suddenly I felt my phone buzzing in my pocket. I fished it out and saw the caller ID. Jace. My heart skipped a beat as I read his name on my phone. I mean, I liked him because he was hot and I hated myself for liking him for that reason. I should like a guy by his personality, but sadly, I couldn't control who I fell for.

I excused myself and picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Oh hey little red. Izzy! She's on the phone!" I heard Jace yell.

A second later, I heard Isabelle's voice coming through the phone. "Hey what's up?" I asked.

"Jace and I were hungry and were wondering if you knew anyplace we could grab a bite. Jace here does not want to eat my healthy home-cooked meal-"

"Cause it smells like freakin crap," I heard Jace's faint voice in the background. I tried to stifle a laugh.

"Shut up Jace! Anyway…so do you?"

"Yeah, actually. My date here sucks so-"

"You're on a date?" she asked, interested.

"Yeah, god he's a complete bore. He's some math nerd who met his math nerd friend and they're happily discussing freaking calculus."

"Ouch, so basically, instead of you on a date, it's the two math nerds on a date," Isabelle said and Jace snickered in the back.

"Ooh watch out, he might just surprise you with a quadratic equation," Jace's faint voice said.

"Why, are you listening to our conversation, Jace?" Isabelle yelled at him. "Sorry."

"No prob, hey why don't you guys come here to eat? I'm already bored to death. It's kinda fancy so you might want to dress up nice," I told her.

"Sure, sounds great! Just give me the address and we'll be there in 10."

I gave Isabelle the address and sat back down at the table where the two nerds were still talking. He didn't even notice me sit down. Whatever, I had friends coming soon. I was just a little excited about seeing Jace again. I mean, he is nice to look at.

Exactly twelve minutes later-yes I was keeping track of time, I had nothing better to do-the two walked through the door. Wow, Jace looked _good_. He cleaned up well, in a black dress shirt and black pants. His golden hair was still tousled, but it didn't hinder his good looks one bit. In fact, it looked sexy.

I waved my hand over and they noticed, walking over. "Hey," I greeted.

"Hi!" Isabelle said excitedly and Jace just waved. I could feel his eyes scanning me appreciatively. I blushed, feeling the heat rise to my cheeks.

I noticed that the two guys had stopped talking and were looking at me for an explanation. "Um, these are my friends, Isabelle and Jace. I hope you don't mind that I invited them, seeing that you two were busy."

I heard a small noise and turned to see Jace suppressing a laugh. "No," the guy, what was his name, said stiffly. "Not at all."

"Well, rat face, you might wanna move your date with rat face two somewhere else, because we need to sit," Jace said smoothly. I couldn't help but smile.

"Excuse me?" the nerd said, standing up to his full height, which was noticeably less than Jace's. Jace was about 6 feet tall so…

"Yes?" Jace said, raising an eyebrow and rolling up his sleeves. The other guy gulped.

"I happen to be on a date with her," he said somewhat weakly.

"Her, who?"

"Um," the guy started, thinking hard, "Cath-"

"Pathetic, you're on a date and you don't know her name? Move, or I move you," Jace warned. Isabelle and I were standing there quietly watching, amused.

The two guys quietly got out of their seat and disappeared. Isabelle and I burst out laughing as Jace sat down and ripped a hunk of break in half and started eating.

"What?" he asked, smiling too. He knew exactly what.

"Oh come on, you know what, Jace," Isabelle said.

"Hey those guys were the epitome of nerd. Little red needed some rescuing."

"You're never gonna say my name are you?" I asked.

"Why, do you really want to hear my melodic voice say your name so you can gush over it the whole night?" Jace asked, smiling slyly.

I made a face at him and he laughed.

"Did you guys even order anything?" Isabelle asked me with concern.

"Nope, he met his friend before we had the chance. The waiter came and the guy just said, later, so I guess the waiter didn't bother to come back till they were done."

"This is the definition of a date gone wrong," Isabelle declared.

"Iz, it wasn't even a date. You go on a date with someone decent, not…this…" he said, waving his hand towards the direction my "date" had left. "Are you sure he wasn't gay?"

Isabelle and I started laughing again. "Jace!" I said, surprised.

"It's a reasonable question."

I rolled my eyes, "Right. And no, he wasn't gay because Maia set me up with him."

"Who's Maia?" Isabelle asked.

"My best friend," I said promptly.

"Some best friend," Jace muttered. "Yo waiter!" Jace beckoned. The startled guy came over to our table.

We ordered our food and gave our menus to the guy. "Jace," Isabelle started as soon as the guy was out of ear shot, "You can't just call a waiter like that in a restaurant like this!"

Of course, him being Jace, just shrugged. Five minutes later, out food arrived.

"Thanks, bro," Jace told the waiter and the waiter smiled. Isabelle's eyes widened as she saw the amount of food we had ordered. She had just ordered a salad.

"How on earth do you guys eat this much food?!"

"We're swimmers," Jace and I said at the same time. I blushed, my eyes meeting his and he winked.

In about twenty minutes, we were done devouring our food. We got up, Isabelle and I talking about clothes and Jace flirting with a waitress.

"Did you drive here?" Isabelle inquired. I wish, I thought. He drove at ninety mile per hour.

"No, he picked me up."

"Mkay, we're taking you home." Knowing that there was no point in arguing with Isabelle, I nodded. As we were getting in the car, I got a call from Maia.

"Sup?" I answered.

"Sooooo, how'd it go?" she said excitedly.

"Terrible, thanks to you," I complained. "The guy was a complete nerd and started talking to his nerd friend who he met there, so I was stuck listening to their conversation about MATH!"

"Ay, sorry chica. I didn't know he was a dweeb," she said.

"It's fine."

"So how are you getting home?"

"A couple friends are taking me home."

"Who is it?" Isabelle mouthed.

"Maia," I said.

"What?" she asked from the other line.

"Tell Maia she has no taste in guys." Jace said from the driver's seat. Then suddenly, the car swerved to the left with a sharp turn before straightening out again.

"Hey Isabelle, tell Jace he can't drive," I retorted.

"I can drive. Little red, you need to loosen up. Live o-wn da edge," he said putting on an urban accent.

"Clary, who are you with?" Maia confused voice came through the phone.

"Jace, you know the guy from the bookstore, and his sister." I told her hesitantly.

"Oh my gosh! That really really hot blonde guy who swam?!" oh god. I winced at the sound of her screaming through my phone.

"I heard that," Jace smirked.

"Oops. Sorry Clary. And excuse me Jace, sir. I have very good taste in guys," Maia huffed.

"Clearly," Jace muttered.

"I can't believe you two are arguing over my phone!" I exclaimed.

"He started it," Maia said promptly.

"Cute. I'll talk to you later kay?" I told her, trying to end the conversation.

"K, and I want all the details of your date with blondie!"

"Maia, it wasn't a-" but she had already left.

I could hear Jace silently cracking up in the front. I threw my shoe at him and he laughed even harder. I buried my face in my hands and groaned. Oh Maia.


End file.
